''The Student of Prague'' (german: Der Student von Prag) is a 1926 German Expressionist

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

by actor and filmmaker

Henrik Galeen Henrik Galeen (7 January 1881 – 30 July 1949) was an Austrian-born actor, screenwriter and film director considered an influential figure in the development of German Expressionism, German Expressionist cinema during the silent era. Early years ...

Plot

In the year 1820, Balduin is a student at a university in Prague. At a student-led outing to a country inn, Balduin encounters the figure Scapinelli who offers him money "for very low interest." Balduin believes him to be a loan shark and ignores him to go engage in a fencing match with another student. After the match, the viewer sees Scapinelli on a cliffside, watching a young woman (later revealed to be Margit, the daughter of a count) on horseback who is participating in a boar-hunt. He manipulates the situation such that the animals run amok and head towards the inn. Margit's horse runs away with her and Balduin catches her when she falls off. As a reward, she gives Balduin a crucifix which has fallen from her neck and later he receives an invitation to the house of her father, Count Schwarzenberg. There he becomes aware of his own poverty in comparison to Margit's fiancé, who is a baron. Later that night, Scapinelli again comes for Balduin and makes an offer. Balduin signs a contract stipulating that Scapinelli can have anything in the room he wants in return for 600,000 florin. Balduin signs and Scapinelli takes out a small bag and proceeds to pour the entirety of the 600,000 onto the table. Scapinelli then takes his part: Balduin's reflection. The scene then shifts to show the new lifestyle that Balduin is leading with his newfound fortune. His happiness does not last long, because his reflection, free of the mirror, runs amok, causing havoc around town, which is blamed on Balduin. Balduin, in his final confrontation, shoots his reflection. This results in his own death. The movie closes as it opens: with a shot of Balduin's grave, upon which is inscribed "Here lies Balduin. He fought the devil and lost".

Cast

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man Who Laugh ...

as Balduin, The Student *

Werner Krauss Werner Johannes Krauss (''Krauß'' in German; 23 June 1884 – 20 October 1959) was a German stage and film actor. Krauss dominated the German stage of the early 20th century. However, his participation in the antisemitic propaganda film ''Jud S ...

as Scapinelli *

Elizza La Porta Elizza La Porta (born Eliza Streinu; 1 March 1902 – 15 November 1997) was a Romanian-born film actress.Goble p.515 La Porta was born in Craiova into a Jewish family. She appeared in a number of German films during the silent film era. She ret ...

as Lyduschka, a flowergirl *

Agnes Esterhazy Agnes or Agness may refer to: People *Agnes (name), the given name, and a list of people named Agnes or Agness * Wilfrid Marcel Agnès (1920–2008), Canadian diplomat Places * Agnes, Georgia, United States, a ghost town *Agnes, Missouri, United ...

as Margit von Schwarzenberg *

Fritz Alberti Fritz Alberti (born Friedrich Wilhelm Alberti; 22 October 1877 – 15 September 1954) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''People in Ecstasy'' (1921) * '' The Other Woman'' (1924) * ''The Blackguard'' (1925) * '' Ship in Distress'' (1925 ...

as Count of Schwarzenberg, Margit's Vater *

Ferdinand von Alten Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

as Baron of Waldis, Margit's fiancé *

Erich Kober The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

as Student *

Max Maximilian Max Maximilian (born Franz Kuhn; 23 September 1885 – 25 June 1930)Landesarchiv Berlin, Sterberegister StA Schöneweide, Nr. 196/1930 was a German singer, actor and director.Waldman p.141 Career Maximilian was born in Cologne and began his career ...

as Student *

Sylvia Torf Sylvia may refer to: People *Sylvia (given name) *Sylvia (singer), American country music and country pop singer and songwriter *Sylvia Robinson, American singer, record producer, and record label executive * Sylvia Vrethammar, Swedish singer cred ...

* Marian Alma *

Horst Wessel Horst Ludwig Georg Erich Wessel (9 October 1907 – 23 February 1930) was a Berlin ''Sturmführer'' ("Assault Leader", the lowest commissioned officer rank) of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA), the Nazi Party's stormtroopers. After his killing in 1 ...

extra in some scenes

Production

It is considered as Galeen's most important film since '' The Golem'' (1915) and is regarded as his magnum opus. The film's screenplay was written by Galeen and Hanns Heinz Ewers and was influenced by the story of

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

. The film had previously been made as '' The Student of Prague''. It was shot at the Staaken Studios in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Among the crew was designer

Hermann Warm Hermann Warm was a German art director for films. Born in 1889 (died 1976) in Berlin, Germany, Warm was an important figure in the expressionist movement of the 1920s. Warm entered the German film industry in 1912 after working on-stage for a whil ...

; cinematographer

Günther Krampf Günther Krampf (8 February 1899 – 4 August 1950) was an Austrian cinematographer who later settled and worked in the UK. Krampf has been described as a "phantom of film history" because of his largely forgotten role working on a number of impo ...

; and the actors

Dagny Servaes Dagny Servaes (10 March 1894 – 10 July 1961) was a German-Austrian stage and film actress. In the theatre she appeared in the productions of Max ReinhardtStyan p.89 and Berthold Brecht. Servaes appeared in around sixty films during her career, ...

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...

and

. ''Der Student von Prag'' made La Porta a well-known actress. The film featured impressive special effects for its time, especially the finale in which the lead character is forced to confront his other half, with seamlessly executed split screen technology.

Release

''The Student of Prague'' was shown in Berlin on 25 October 1926. The film was remade as a sound film in 1935, directed by Arthur Robinson.

Reception

From retrospective reviews, Troy Howarth wrote in his book ''Tome of Terror'' that the film was a "marked improvement" over the 1913 version of the film which was "creaky and antiquated by comparison"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Student of Prague, The (1926 film) 1926 films 1926 horror films 1920s historical horror films 1920s fantasy films German horror films German historical fantasy films German black-and-white films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Henrik Galeen German Expressionist films Films based on works by Hanns Heinz Ewers Films based on works by Alfred de Musset Films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe Films set in Prague Films set in 1820 Remakes of German films Films shot at Staaken Studios Silent horror films 1920s German films